It's all about Passion: Reception of Othello amidst an Emerging Multicultural Society

In this chapter I analyse the performance history of Othello in the Netherlands in the second half of the twentieth century and the extent to which challenges posed by the high level of immigration and changing demographic composition have influenced production and reception of the play. The development reveals a gradual, but erratic increase in attention to topical themes of race, culture and ethnicity, but far less so than in surrounding countries and half-heartedly at best, as Dutch productions and their reception kept reverting to more universal themes of passion, jealousy and revenge, which they considered to be the core of the play.